The Price You Pay
Sebasten remembered the day quite vividly; every time the hammer struck iron it rehashed the memory. *Clang, Clang* Not that Sebasten needed any help. Life changing events such as that have a tendency to be replayed over and over again, as if he was searching for something, anything, that he might of missed. *Clang, Clang* He couldn't explain why, perhaps it was the years of conditioning he received from the church or the comfort he remembered in his youth. Two things he abandoned long ago, as they were needed no longer. *Clang, Clang* The hammer struck iron once more and showered arcing sparks around his small blacksmithing shop. He had always envisioned he would have a larger shop than this when he peacefully retired. He never retired, though, and there was nothing peaceful about it. Through all of this though he was never struck with one ounce of regret about any of it. If there was anything Sebasten had faith in and trusted it was his own judgment. It had yet to steer him wrong. He wiped the sweat from his brow onto his rawhide gloves and stood up straight. He looked out the window at the panoramic view of the small cove of Booty Bay his high vantage point offered him. To the west the sun was setting down past the horizon, and yet the temperature wasn't even slightly affected; if anything it felt like it got even hotter. Drenched with sweat and in need to smelt more iron he decided now would be a good time for a break. He peeled his shirt off and tossed it to his workbench. He picked up a basket and filled it with some more iron ore, refilled his cup of coffee and made his way outside to his forge. The majestic view gave Sebasten pause: For so many years he passed through the busy port without so much of a second glance, in fact he despised the city. He had come to love it in his time spent here though, and as he peeled his gloves off and stoked the forge to acquire the proper temperature he allowed himself to smile inwardly. To think that a single conversation could bring about so much change. He lit himself a cigar and played the event over in his mind one more time... ...It was just another ordinary day in Stormwind, and autumn was slowing giving away to the clutches of winter. The signs were everywhere: the sky was a cold, bleak, gray-blue and had been for as long as the citizens of Elwynn could remember. The romantic glow of the orange, yellow and red fallen leaves scattering the ground had past, and all that remained was the wrinkled, brown remains. A cold wind whipped south down from the mountains and brought with it the dry, ever-present threat of snow. The whole scene was dreary and depressing. Yet, as Sebasten slowly trotted up the main pass towards the Stone city, he couldn't help but admire it. His years on the frontline had awarded him a new appreciation of the details life always offer, but normally go unnoticed The nameless farmers and citizens scurried around Sebasten's steed as he passed through, most of them uninterested and fixated on arriving at their destination to escape the cold. There were a few that stopped to catch a second look at the heavily armored knight, and young boys drew their wooden swords and marched behind him. They kept a good distance though, they knew better than to get in his path. Sebasten kept his eyes forward and the grip on the reigns tight. He was in no rush to arrive home, but certainly was unafraid of what awaited him. He always knew the day would come where he would have to face the music for what he did. This was only a price he promised himself he would pay someday, and now it was time to pay it. He passed by the guards stationed at the main gate of Stormwind, but paid them no notice. The guards, on the other hand, exchanged a few glances and hushed tones. Two of them nodded to each other and at a distance began to follow Sebasten. Meanwhile, Sebasten took notice of the massive statues that lined the bridge entering Stormwind; monuments to true heroes of the alliance, or so the royal family wanted the people to believe. Sebasten paused. He replayed his last thought back in his mind. Did he really believe that? He wondered if he had truly become that jaded, and frowned at the thought. He hadn't the time to think about it though, as his reverie was shattered by someone addressing him, and it sounded as if they meant business. "Sebasten Wellington." The guard stood in the middle of the bridge, brining him and his horse to a halt. " Sir Sebasten Wellington" he was quick to correct the sprat, a boy in the disguise of a man. Sebastens' ocean blue eyes met the guard and sized him up. He could read the kid like a book, and the mere thought made his roadblock uncomfortable. "Do I know you?" Sebastens voice was calm, and contrasted the business-like mentality of the guard. "No, but I know you. We've been expecting you." The guard placed his hand to the hilt of his sword, "You are bound by law to stand down. You are to be escorted to Stormwind Castle." The whole song and dance amused Sebasten. He wondered if the heroes depicted on these statues would be put through the same bullshit. "Is that so..." Sebasten said as he dismounted, behind him he could hear the drawing of swords from the two guards that followed him from the moment he entered the city. Sebasten let his frown curve into a sly smirk. "You will follow me" He reissued the command, then nodded to Sebastens sword. "Niles, take his sword." One of the rear guards had already snuck up behind Sebasten and reached for his sword. What he got instead was a vicious elbow to the face, breaking his nose and splitting his forehead wide open. "Never sneak up on a man who’s been in a fight with the Burning Legion son!" Sebastens voice boomed and caused the rest of the guards to take a step back and draw their weapons. "And as for you.." Sebasten pointed at the guard calling the shots. " If you want this sword.." He beckoned the sheep in wolf's clothing with a waggle of a plate covered finger, " Why don't you come take it." A standoff ensued. Nobody made a move until finally another voice spoke up: "Guards. Stand down." General Marcus Jonathan spoke, and all listened. He had been monitoring the situation from his post at the end of the bridge. "Do you not know who this man is? This is Sir Sebasten Wellington, hero of Arathi Basin. He is not just some street urchin. He's been doing your job better than you ever could for longer than you've been alive. Show the man some respect." His gaze then turned upon Sebasten, "Sebasten, I understand how you feel, but do what these guards say. They have a job to do just like you and I do." The two looked at each other, and for a moment they had a standoff of their own. Two poker players with faces of slate, unable to get a read from each other. Sebasten had always respected Marcus for his years of dedication to his duty. It was who he was dutiful, however, was what had come in question and gave him pause. Reluctantly, Sebatsen relinquished his sword. Some of the guards helped Niles to his foot, who was sobbing in what could only be described as agony. They whisked him into the city while the rest stayed back, and grouped around Sebasten. Together the group began their walk towards the castle. The party, once passing through the walls and into the city, exchanged glances between each other, and then sheathed their swords. A simple, seemingly innocent maneuver caught Sebastens’ attention if only for a moment. It didn’t take long before Sebasten realized the significance of this seemingly innocuous action. It could only mean that the proceedings here were not of the official manner, though the exact nature of his upcoming meeting remained elusive to him; it was obvious that not all the cards had been played, which required Sebasten to exercise patience, something he was never fond of. Through the old district and onto Canal Street the escort marched. They kept a brisk pace, but not so much as to draw attention to themselves. They used the roads less traveled and kept their voices low and it wasn’t long before the group reached the castle. At this point half of the escort broke off and vanished down one of the hallways and out of sight. Two remained at this point and took place at Sebastens left and right flank. The whole procedure wore down on Sebasten’s patience tremendously and by the time the three arrived at the office of the bishop it took a few deep breaths to settle the rapid beat of his heart to a normal pace. “The Bishop is waiting” one of the guards informed Sebasten “please, sir” and then gestured with an extension of his hand toward the door. The heavy drop of one boot after another echoed against the stone walls of the Bishops large office announced his arrival, and was the only sound heard save for the scratch of bishops’ quill against paper. The Bishop and Sebasten had met once before in the past: a time when Sebasten still wore the colors of the hounds and was quick to serve the church and the City of Stormwind. In those times Sebasten would do just about anything to get the notoriety and respect that the knight he wished to be would get. How young and exploitable he was... This whole time the bishop continued to write. It was obvious that Delavey was trying to gain the upper hand, another part of the silly song and dance. It perplexed Sebasten how with all this posturing how anything got done in this city. It made him wonder if things had been like this the whole time, and he was just too naïve to realize it. The bishop continued to write. He was dressed in fine robes of silk and cashmere, and wore jewelry of gold and Mithril. He wondered how many how much of it was earned on the sweat of the acolytes brow. How many heretics burned at the stake for it? The years in Outland taught him a lot about the light, and only now after being in the service and in the presence of true beings had the blinders been lifted from his eyes. Only now could he see what the church and the bishop really were all about. He thought back to the work he was charged with in the name of the Light. Looking back his work reminded him of mercenary work, just with terrible pay. Pawn takes rook. The years in Outland changed the way Sebasten viewed a lot of things. The bishop continued to write. He debated getting the bishops attention by ringing his bell with his helmet. He knew where he was, though, and what he was up against. This was no longer his home court. For now he would have to play by the Bishops rules, for now. He shifted his weight off his left foot and contemplated how this display of power must have made the bishop feel like a big man; if he only knew the truth. “I can come back at another time, Bishop” his mark dripped with sarcasm. “No that is quite alright” The bishop smiled so sweet it could rot teeth, celebrating his small victory. He gently laid his quill on the desk. “Light be with you, Sir Sebasten. I see that you finally decided us to grace us with your presence. This pleases me.” He clasped his hands together and looked up at Sebasten, “because we have so –much- to talk about.” "I can tell" Sebasten widened his stance just slightly as he eyed the bishop sitting coyly behind his desk "...What with that grand escort the guards gave me I was expecting a medal or award." The bishop smiled again, that same smile as before. "Did they get a bit carried away? I had been given orders that you were to be treated with all the honor and respect you deserved. "He brushed his hand through the air, wiggling his fingers "I don't know what gets into some of our younger soldiers these days..." Sebasten decided to keep his thoughts to himself and instead offered a simpler explanation, "Well Bishop, I believe that is the charge of the people appointed to places of power. I know from first hand experience that most of these younger soldiers learn from example. One could surmise that their actions are reflections of the nature of those very people." "Perhaps, perhaps" The Bishop tapped his fingers together, before rising to his feet. He walked to a small side table containing a bottle of wind and fine, expensive cut crystal goblets." I shall take that thought into consideration. After all" he stopped, turned and looked at Sebasten, "Who else would know best of such things than you? Wine?" He then poured himself a glass. He raised it to his nose, and took a moment to admire the heavenly scent. "The finest that can be found" Without waiting for an answer, the bishop walked back to his desk and sat back down. "No" He waved his hand dismissively, "But thank you. What I would like is to be told the nature of this visit. I am a very busy man, and since I just arrived home I have plenty of my own business to attend to." His hand returned back to his side. His body never moved but his eyes followed the Bishop and his moments very carefully. He knew from the moment he walked in the room he should not trust this man, even if he was in a position of power. He didn't like the setup, not one bit. The Bishop looked at Sebasten, his face a mask of serenity. "Sir Sebasten, you were called here to discuss protection." He took a sip of his wine. "From all reports and accounts, you've done a fine job on all fronts you've battled on. You've always held the Church's best interest in your hand for all these years, both here and through the portal. I wonder, why it is then, the woman you were given charge over.." he paused. As he paused, his features grew stern. He eyes narrowed as his mouth became a tight line. "...died." Sebasten knew right away he was talking about Dame Felena. He remembered the day he left for the portal and told Felena his plans. He remembered the lack of a reaction from his teacher when she heard it ,but he knew. She admired his bravery, but knew her duty and could not let his disobedience go unpunished. She had a job to do, but so did he. Now she was dead and he started to realize the Bishops plot. "I am not exactly sure Bishop, though, I can tell you when the news reached me I was terribly saddened." He paced a bit to the left and pondered his next words, "Though I believe it was the intent of the Arch Bishop that she take charge over me. " Sebasten turned to face the Bishop , his cape billowing a bit behind him with his turn. "When the news reached you," the bishop repeated. "Let me see." He sorted through some papers on his desk. "Here it is. Did you know the day she disappeared, you were seen in the city? I have it on good authority, and my sources are never wrong." The last words were spoken slowly and deliberately. "Let me stop you there, Bishop." He raised a gauntleted hand at him brining the bishop pause. The bishop stared at Sebasten, his hand tightened the grip on his wine goblet. The bishop cut in anyway "I find it odd that you were given the task of protecting her, yet she disapp/ieared. You say you had no knowledge of it, yet you were seen IN the city." " I can see where you are going with this, Bishop, and let me assure you that I played no part in the death of Dame Felena. She was a great knight in name, and I would never do anything to sullen that name or bring harm to her" Sebasten lowered his hand " and I do not mean to discredit your..sources..but I was not in the city when she died." "Oh but you did play a part, knight." The bishop all but spat out the last word. "You were given a task and you failed. Failure, Sir Sebasten Wellington, is not acceptable to the Church and our causes." Sebasten narrowed his eyes at the narrow focus of the bishop "While that may be true, Dame Felena knew that when I left I wasn't coming back, and reported that. I'm not here to try and justify what I did, but I am not going to apologize for it. I have been granted access to more knowledge of the light from the Na'ruu than the church could ever provide. I have first hand wielded the power of the Light and smited its enemies." "So you admit your fault then!" The Bishop raised his voice for the first time. " No, I admit that Felena was a knight like me, and gave her life to the service of your church. I also know that I will not be bullied, by you or the Church. I am a servant of Justice and I answer only to her ,now." "Well said, Sebasten..." The bishop stood and walked towards the door" As you believe, Wellington. Know that this was merely a courtesy. Know that on the morrow, you will be facing charges of sedition, treason, and" he turned to Sebasten "Murder." “Murder” Sebasten’s voice hinted at the idea that the thought of him standing trial on an issue such as this was somewhat amusing. “This all sounds quite serious, bishop.” Sebasten’s casual answer seemed to rile up the bishop a bit; it could be heard in his voice as he spoke to Sebasten. “Yes, Murder! The idea that you would abandon your charge given to you by the most holy of holy, and that you would go to pursue your own selfish gains of glory and honor is disgraceful! I will see to it that you learn your place, you will be a prime example to those who think it wise to disobey the church.” “Disgraceful?” Sebasten repeated the bishops’ words. “Yes! Disgraceful and insulting” The bishop reiterated. Sebasten had spent quite a considerable amount of energy attempting to remain calm through this meeting with the bishop and himself. He even kept his calm when the bishop told him that he would be charged with the death of his teacher and mentor. Sebasten, however, had enough of the bishops verbal berating. He had no idea what disrespect was, and Sebasten was going to show him the true meaning of the word. “I’ll tell you what is disgraceful, bishop.” Sebasten's hands tightened into fists and his tone took a much darker mood. It shook the bishop; Sebasten could see the fear rising in his eyes “you are the disgrace bishop. Perhaps I should explain it to you. While it may seem that my ‘duty’ to protect a woman more than capable of protecting herself, my duty is to the light. While you are here playing detective trying to pin me with whatever crime you decide is appropriate, you could be spending that manpower out in the field! What is disgraceful is that you did not send more able knights like me to rescue the beings of life that are being RAPED by the Sin’dorei!” Sebasten pointed his finger at the bishop accusingly, “It is the churches NEGLIGENCE that has blasphemously empowered an entire race! They now think that they can STEAL the power the Light has blessed us with! It is your ARROGANCE that has endangered all of Stormwind, if not all of Azeroth!” The bishop couldn’t help but step backwards as Sebasten slowly advanced on him, “While you have been trying on pretty robes here in your ivory tower, I have been saving lives, sacrificing body and blood for the Light, and for Stormwind. The sudden change in tone caught the attention of the guards standing outside. It wasn’t long before three stepped in; they could see the threatened demeanor of the bishop. The bishop did not see them at first, his attention fixated on the irritated knight in front of him. Sebasten paused, and only after an eternity of a moment did his hands relax. Then he spoke “I will not now nor will I EVER entertain this hearing or any of your accusations, not for one single second, because the moment the words of a tired old man become more important than the Light, it is clear that I am in the wrong place. Here” Sebasten reached into his satchel, and produced a small fold of leather. He let it slip from his hands and the contents spilled out on the ground at his feet. Seven medals, Sebasten could remember what each of them meant and what they represented, all the people that had to die for him to get them.” You can keep them. They have no value for me anymore especially after I see how easily they can be taken. I no longer need them, or you, or the church to serve The Light.” “You think you can just walk away from ME!? I am Bishop Delavey, the hand of The Light! You think you can just walk all over me!? Well, we shall see about that!” The bishops’ anger was evident as he shouted at Sebasten. He then turned and faced the guards standing at the door, “Draw your swords, and arrest this man!” To the surprise of both Sebasten and Bishop Delavey, nobody moved. Again the bishop barked his commands and again nobody made a move. Sebasten wasn’t about to wait around. He walked past the bishop and only after he got close to the three guards did any of them make a move. She unsheathed her sword but it seemed to be in order to protect her and not to try and restrain him. He stopped and looked each of the three in the eye before he revealed his plan. “I’m leaving” he said. He looked over his shoulder at the bishop and said something the Bishop would not soon forget “Do not send anyone after me. Mark my words: if you or any of your pawns tries to stand between me and my work, they will find themselves quickly removed. “ ***** Sebasten felt a sharp rush of pain up his finger. He quickly discarded the smoldering cigar from his fingers. A sure sign it was time to get back to work. It wasn’t until he pulled the iron from the fire that he heard the familiar jingle of a silver charm bracelet, announcing someone’s arrival. She was dressed in her field uniform, the red and gold of the Brigade. Despite everything that happened Sebasten knew she was no threat. In fact in the few weeks that she returned back into his life it seemed that things had finally began to right themselves. “Hello Basten, I brought you the Stormwind Gazette,” she said as she walked past him into the shop, “Some pork ribs too. I hope you are hungry.” She smiled at him before disappearing inside. He allowed himself a smile, if only for a moment. ***** It was only after Sebasten left that the Bishop slumped to his chair. “Did you hear everything, Grand High Inquisitor?” The guards looked shocked and suddenly began to search for who the bishop spoke to. From a thin shadow a single slender night elf appeared “Yes Bishop. I heard everything.” The bishop drank deeply from his goblet in an attempt to quell his anger. The bishop drank deeply from his chalice to attempt to quell his anger, “Then you know what to do. Nobody crosses the church without paying for it. Nobody crosses ME and gets away with it.” He glanced to the beautiful assassin. “Dispose of these three; it is the will of the Light to strike those down who defy it.” It was one of those rare weather days in the bay. The winds that normally came off the ocean and brought hot temperatures and muggy conditions had shifted. The change brought with it brought a break to the heat wave, leaving hot dry temperatures and a bit of a breeze. It was the perfect weather to simply sit out and enjoy, and so Kareise decided to do just that. She was stirred earlier than usual by this change and rose out of bed. Although it took her a moment to adjust to her surroundings, it was getting easier. She found herself waking more and more in the second floor apartment above the Wellington Blacksmithing Company. Sebastens’ home was small but the view was amazing, and with easy roof access she decided that she would spend the day bathing in the sun with a good enchanting book. She knew the paperwork would be piling up on her desk at her office in Stormwind, but she also knew that if she was there she would not get work done. Her time would be spent doing nothing more than daydreaming about lying on the roof of Sebastens’ shop enjoying days like these. To Kareise that seemed like reason enough to spend just one more day down on the Southern Coast. First though, she wanted to see Sebasten. She donned her light linen clothing; a simple tunic and matching skirt she had made earlier in the week, worked her feet into her sandals and moseyed on downstairs. It would not be hard to find him; she always knew where he was. Sure enough after slipping outside he found her, smelting away without any awareness of what was going on outside of the work in front of him. To the untrained eye it looked like hard work but as Kareise leaned up against the doorframe and watched him silently she knew the truth, he was happy. Smelting always made him happy. “Good Morning”. She spoke softly enough for him to hear it, almost cooed at him. Sebasten looked up at her once then back to the forge, the smile widened. “Mornin’ Rese” he tried to keep his enthusiasm at a lull because he didn’t want to sound too excited. “I didn’t hear you come upstairs” she slid off the frame and walked over to him, reaching up on tippy-toed feet to kiss his cheek. It tasted of sweat and salt, but she hardly minded. He placed the last bit of work aside and took of his gloves, “Yes I didn’t. I had a lot of work to do so I worked through the night.” He hated lying to her, the truth was he was never comfortable sleeping with her in his bed, not yet at least. In fact there wasn’t even any work; he had been working on something for himself. He was just happy to have her around, and he wasn’t going to let something silly like his lack of comfort in the company of the opposite sex affect the harmony she brought. She was always there when the shop opened, cleaning the windows and greeting the customers while he worked. She was there at the end of the day, sweeping out the shop, and filling out the books. As good with a quill as I am with a blade; Sebasten thought to himself. He never had to ask because she never asked. It was nice to have so much help, such a good person.. “It’s so nice today!” Kareise exclaimed and brought Sebasten back to the present. She spun on the balls of her feet with her arms extended out. Her face bathed in the midday rays of the sun. “I think I will lie out on the roof and read today. What do you think?” her hands fell to her side and she looked at Sebasten. “It sounds nice. I have to check the post, then I think I may join you.” A smile crept up on Kareise’s face. “Well get all your work done and be quick with it!” She scolded him with mock scorn and skipped back inside. He smiled. Her enthusiasm was never ending. He figured that he would take a stroll over to the mailbox down by the bank, then join her. It was after all one of those rare days in the bay. He finished the last of his adamantite , set the gloves aside and shut the door to the shop. The last step he performed was leaving a sign on the door: “Back in 10 minutes!” Sebasten wasn’t the only one to realize the potential of a day such as this. The docks were littered with all shapes and sizes of fishers, he had to count at least twenty fishing poles bouncing up and down. Women abandoned their shoes and the downtrodden abandon their pain for at least a day. He could see it in the faces of those he past by. He struck a match and lit a cigarette, dodging a small stampede of orcish children as they darted past him towards parts unknown; No doubt adventure of some sort. It made him think about his own childhood: locked up in an abbey confined to windows of the real world. He thought it was his calling to become a priest. He couldn’t imagine what he would be like if he had followed that path. If his sister never died.. Sebasten repeated the thought in his head: it had been a long time since he thought about his sister. He wished she could be here to enjoy a day like this. He took a puff of his cigarette and let the thoughts simmer for a moment longer until letting them pass. He then continued on his way. He never greeted the postmen. He hated those smelly backstabbing goblins, since the first day he ever met them he knew they were trouble. He never trusted any of them and knew never to cross the bouncers. They were the law around here. He gave the slightest of nods and opened the postbox. Advertisement, pass. He flipped it Another advertisement, which had the same fate The regality of the last letter caught his eye. He set the others back in his box and looked the letter over. It had a post mark from the far west: Darnassus. Slowly he opened the letter and unfolded it. He read it, and did not believe it. He read it again, and could not believe what he read. He read it a third time, and his hands shook as his eyes scanned the paper. There wasn’t a single word he could understand except where they signed it: “We are deeply sorry for your loss.” Slowly he came to a seat and dropped the letter. Ghleanna was dead, and he openly wept for her. Kareise licked her finger and turned the page of her book. In the few hours she had spent up on the roof she had tackled nearly a quarter of the textbook she brought up with her. The day was everything she thought it was going to be, the combination of hot sun warming her and the gentle breeze keeping her comfortable. She had abandoned the linen in favor of something much smaller and more form fitting to help achieve a tan; all her fellow hounds would be quite jealous of her once they saw it. She kept them nearby, however, in the event they would be needed. It was one of those rare days in the bay. Yet, even though everything was so perfect, something seemed amiss. It was only after she stopped reading and set the book aside that she noticed it. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun and glanced over to the Clock tower. The time read 12:17. In this momentary lapse of the pursuit of knowledge that she was able to decipher the missing piece of the puzzle; Sebasten had not returned. She knew better than to sweep up into a panic, though, Sebasten was always sidetracked by one thing or another. Kareise contemplated the reason for the delay: maybe he ran into an old friend walking to or from the mailbox, or maybe it was that he was conducting a bit of business with a potential customer, all good reasons why he was not there or so Kareise thought. A sudden an unexpected gust of cold air whipped across the roof and sent a slight chill up her spine. It was then that Kareise understood; she was never the one to deny her sixth sense on things like this. She quickly gathered her items, leaving only her empty glass and carefully scaled down off the roof. Kareise was not in any rush, but she admitted to herself that she was concerned. It was in her nature to worry about Sebasten; he was so good to her and he did so much and asked for so little. His humility warmed her heart and his bravery made her feel so safe; with Sebasten there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. She stepped back into her sandals and slipped on her linen skirt and shirt, then made her way to Sebasten’s dresser, to the top drawer marked “Junk”. She yanked it open and fished around a bit until she found what she was looking for. It was a golden telescoping spyglass. She snatched it out and made her way back to the highest point on the roof. She clicked it open and placed it to her eye. She looked up and down the docks, searching for him. She could see the bank and the post from here but he wasn’t there either. She scanned the bay for a few more minutes before giving up. She pressed against the spyglass and it collapsed back to its original size. “Where is he...?” She pressed against the spyglass and it collapsed back to its original size. She turned the sign on the door to the shop to “CLOSED” and used Sebasten’s keys to lock the door. Then she tucked the keys into her bag and quickly walked down to the city. The city was a much different place without Sebasten there. She knew her way around the city well enough but with Sebasten the whole place just seemed much friendlier. When he walked people got out of his way, they smiled to him and treated him like the knight he desired to be for so many years, and gave up so quickly. To the bay, however, Kareise was a stranger and paid her no mind. She had to weave through the busy dock streets, while still trying to find him. Coming to an intersection, Kareise came to a stop. She couldn’t decide where to go; Sebasten could have gone anywhere... It was then that she decided to get some help. He walked forward a bit and spotted a human crouched over looking at what appeared to be a book or something of that nature. It was hard to tell. “Excuse me... I am looking for someone perhaps you have seen hi-“Kareise suddenly paused. The human in fact was not human at all, this became apparent as the thing slowly rose to his full height, and it was a troll! Kareise took a few defensive steps backwards, “oh s-sorry! Didn’t mean to bother you...” The troll peered at her curiously. Kareise was not scared of him, rather she felt intimidated by him. She knew that he meant no harm but outside of occasionally passing by one she never interacted with one, let alone talked to one. The two looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the troll spoke again. Kareise couldn’t make out a word he was saying to her. Kareise, after a moment of trying to settle her heart rate, realized that this troll might be actually trying to help him. “I am looking for someone, his name is Sebasten.” Kareises’ voice was slow and deliberate, and the troll tried to follow her but failed. Kareise thought over it a moment: she knew that talking wasn’t going to work so she came up with a new idea. She held her finger up asking for a moment. She walked up beside him, her eyes guiding his eyes to her outstretched finger. Their gazes were guided up to the small blacksmithing shop on the hill. The troll smile and nodded sagely. The troll spoke up “Yu’shuwa.” “Yu’Shuwa?” it was Kareises’ turn to look confused. The troll nodded a few times in agreement. Kareise bit her lip and pondered the situation for a moment. It was then that the idea hit her. She squared up in front of the troll and sucked in her air puffing out her chest, and did her best impression of Sebasten. “Yu’shuwa?” She said the word the troll said again, and then began to march about. The two shared a laugh and after a bit the troll added in, as he pretended to smoke a cigar. “Yu’shuwa.” “Yes! That’s him!” She nodded feverously. The troll smiled and nodded again, this time placing his finger to his left eye then trailed it down his cheek. He said the word again, this time very somberly “Yu’Shuwa.” Kareise tilted his head, the trolls’ last action not making much sense. A frown couldn’t help but curl on her lips as she looked to the troll. The troll didn’t need words to understand what she wanted. He pointed towards the entrance of the nearby tavern the two stood outside. “Go.” The troll spoke the worst common she’d ever heard, but the message was clear. She thanked the troll quickly and scurried over to the tavern. Once inside she looked about until she spotted him at a corner table, downing another shot. “Sebasten...” slowly she approached the table. Sebasten looked up from the letter and smiled, weakly. He wiped his face off a bit and straightened up a bit. “Sebasten...are you okay?” She quickly sat next to him at the table, and her hand took his. “Please. Tell me Sebasten...what happened?” Sebasten looked at her, then down to the half filled glass. Slowly he began to lift it to his lips but Kareise stopped him. She pushed the glass back down to the table then took it from him gently, yet firmly. “Sebasten, I think that is enough.” For the first time her voice was firm. “Now tell me...” He said nothing; instead he just handed her the letter. Kareise took the letter, and began to read. He watched her eyes scan back and forth reading the letter to herself quietly. He knew exactly the moment she read the bad news. He soft blue eyes went wide and her hand slowly rose to her mouth. “Basten...” She looked up to him then back to the note, “Oh Basten...this is terrible news.” Sebasten could only shake his head, a perpetual scowl on his face. Kareise folded the note back up placed it on the table. The two shared a common silence; Sebasten thought of his lifelong friend and Kareise watched and gauged his reaction. “It’s all wrong Kareise. This is all wrong.” Sebasten's reaction threw Kareise off, and so she questioned him, “Basten, what do you mean all wrong? This is all very confusing to me.” Sebasten flips his hair back behind his head, but his eyes remained glued to the flickering candle “This whole thing, this whole light forsaken thing. I KNOW for a fact that Ghleanna did not just...go out like this. There’s no way. If you knew Ghleanna, Kareise, you’d know as I know. “ Kareise placed her soft, delicate hand beneath his chin and raised her head so their eyes met. “Tell me about her...” Then she smiled a smile. That smile. The one he could not resist. So Sebasten talked, and she listened. The two shared a pot of tea and talked about the past. She told him about the history the two had together: how they met out in Westfall and traveled together ever since. How she had more skill, talent, and ability than Sebasten, his brother, and his sister combined ever could. He went on about how Ghleanna excelled at anything and everything she did, and when she mastered the art of druidic magic, she took up hunting skills as well. When she read every book on Leatherworking and could skin an animal using a rock without the animal feeling any pain, she took up the art of enchanting and still managed to outpace Sebasten in his crafting arts. He hesitantly told Kareise about the hundreds of times she gave Sebasten a tail whipping after he would make a smart comment. He told Kareise how Ghleanna was the most important influence and without her he would just be another stick in the mud chasing dragonlings around some swamp somewhere. “But Sebasten “Kareise said as she poured herself another cup of tea “I don’t understand. Earlier, you stated that this isn’t the way she ‘went out’, when, in fact, the letter states just that.” The teacup clinks against the saucer. “What I mean to say, Reese, is that none of this makes sense. I can’t help but feel that there is foul play involved.” “Foul play?” Kareise suddenly looked surprised. “Yes, Reese.” Sebasten took a sip of the tea he had barely touched. “You mean...murdered?” she inquired further, with a hint of worry in her voice “Reese, I’ve seen Ghleanna get out of situations way worse than this. To think that she just passed away peacefully in her sleep while her house burned to the ground...” Sebasten paused again as he realized that crushing reality about his friend. “The whole thing simply does not add up, Reese.” Sebasten then rose to his feet, and Kareise rose with him “I need some fresh air...” Outside, the sun had began it’s descent into the western sky. Kareise and Sebasten walked out to the edge of the docks and for a moment enjoyed the view in silence. Sebasten thought about all the times Ghleanna would do the same silently. Sebasten was too busy flirting with the female members of the crew or sharpening his sword to be bothered by such things. He wondered if she was watching the same sunset from the great beyond. “Ghleanna told me that if anything were to happen to her that she wanted to be returned to her home.” Sebasten tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks. Kareise turned and looked up at him. “It’s a very sacred place in Kalimdor called Moonglade. It is the home of the elves.” He glanced to Kareise and almost immediately realized the look of wonder in her eyes. “I’ve never been to Kalimdor, Sebasten, what is it like” she questioned him as her arms snaked around his, and she pulled herself close. “Why should I tell you when I can show you? Come with me Reese...it would mean the world to me.” “Of course Sebasten” She leaned up and the two kissed deeply “Anything for you.” Sebasten smiled at her. “We will leave in the morning. Pack for colder weather: it is cold where we are going.” Kareise smiled “Will you come with me?” “No, I will catch up.” Kareise replied with a simple nod. He took a slow walk to the flight master and smoked a cigar. He made a note to pack his blade. “Two tickets for Menethil Harbor please, with luggage.”